MORAGA -- Ryan Andresen, the Moraga Boy Scout who has received a flood of support online after his recent dismissal from the Boy Scouts following his admission he is gay, is scheduled to appear Thursday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," according to the show's website.

Andresen, who turned 18 on Monday, had completed all the requirements for his Eagle Scout award -- the highest honor in Boy Scouting -- when he came out as gay.

Ryan's mother, Karen Andresen, started an online petition on Change.org on Oct. 2, demanding that her son be allowed to achieve the Eagle standing -- something he has been working toward since joining the Scouts at age 6.

The petition calls on Boy Scout leaders to reject the national organization's anti-gay policy. Two days later, local Scouting officials notified the Andresens that Ryan was losing his membership in Scouting altogether.

The online petition had more than 355,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.

Boy Scout leadership reaffirmed the organization's long-standing ban on participation by gays and lesbians in July.

Ryan Andresen's Eagle Scout project is a 288-tile "Wall of Tolerance" on an outdoor wall at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga, where he attended classes.

Members of the Andresen family said last week they had agreed not to do interviews with local journalists as part of their arrangement with DeGeneres' show.

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In the Bay Area, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" airs at 4 p.m. each afternoon on NBC Bay Area.